Does your computer have a decent soundcard? If not i think a DAC would be worth considering since it makes a large impact on the sound too. The E17 is coming out any day now and would fit nicely into your budget and you could get the E9 (E19? i dunno) at a later date if you are unsatisfied.

If you are able to locate a seller i find that the Ubermuzik TinyTube DAC makes a really good DAC/AMP solution.

Does your computer have a decent soundcard? If not i think a DAC would be worth considering since it makes a large impact on the sound too. The E17 is coming out any day now and would fit nicely into your budget and you could get the E9 (E19? i dunno) at a later date if you are unsatisfied.

If you are able to locate a seller i find that the Ubermuzik TinyTube DAC makes a really good DAC/AMP solution.

Last time i checked, which was milliseconds ago, i could get an Asgard for around $150.